Comparison

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting vs The Alphabet

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting

This app helps young learners develop essential handwriting skills by practicing letter and number formation, and shapes. It offers a fun, engaging, and prep-free experience for children, with customizable word lists and offline functionality.

Highlights
  • Letter and number formation practice
  • Shape tracing
  • Fine motor skill development
  • Customizable word lists
  • Offline functionality
  • Multi-language support
Features
Read full description

Take the hassle out of handwriting lessons with the Twinkl Formation & Handwriting app! It’s a fun-filled, prep-free way to help your little learners form letters, numbers and shapes, and build those all-important fine motor skills. So, why will you love the Twinkl Formation & Handwriting app? Your weekend is safe. Just set them up and watch them practice. You get back the time you’d spend prepping tracing sheets for lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers 1-100, and simple shapes. No more begging to practice! The kids are actually asking to use it. That's a win-win. From the classroom to the car. It works on any device and keeps the learning consistent, no matter where they are. It's built by people who get it. The app has been developed by expert lead teachers and senior practitioners , so you can have total confidence in its standards. Phonics panic, solved. Phase 2/3 sounds and over 100 CVC words are ready-to-go, so you have exactly what you need for your next lesson. Cater to all your learners, wherever you are in the world. The app has specific fonts and professional audio in English for the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand, along with Welsh, Spanish, Arabic and Afrikaans. Stress-free screen time. The app works completely offline, so you can breathe easy knowing the kids are safe and the content is secure. Adaptable to your needs. Create your own custom word lists to personalize the experience for your learners. Full support for your teaching. The app is compatible with a great range of supporting printable resources from the Twinkl website. How to access the Twinkl Formation & Handwriting app: Twinkl Ultimate members get full access to the app and all of Twinkl’s other mobile and web apps as part of your membership. If you just want app access without the wider benefits of Twinkl, you can take out an in-app subscription. Or, if you want to see how it works, you can try some of the features of the app for free in Try! Mode. Got questions? You can contact our lovely Twinkl Cares team 24/7, and you can always speak to a real human - that’s the Twinkl difference. Our Privacy Policy: https://www.twinkl.com/legal#privacy-policy Our Terms and Conditions: https://www.twinkl.com/legal#terms-and-conditions Apple Standard Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Rated 3+ by the Indonesia Game Rating System (IGRS)

About

The Alphabet

This app offers an interactive and engaging way for young children to learn and practice writing the alphabet. It uses animations, tracing activities with fun objects, and independent writing practice with feedback to build foundational literacy skills.

Highlights
  • Three-step learning process: animation, tracing, independent writing
  • Captivating animations for each letter
  • Interactive tracing with fun objects
  • Progress tracking and feedback
  • Vibrant visuals
Features
Read full description

Welcome to 'ABC Alphabet: Learn to Write!', where learning the alphabet is an exciting adventure! Perfect for young learners, our app provides a fun and interactive way for kids to master writing the alphabet in three unique steps. Step aboard the alphabet train as you embark on a journey through the letters! In Step One, children will be delighted by captivating animations accompanying each letter they write. Watch as the train chugs along, making learning letter formation an enjoyable experience. Moving on to Step Two, children will engage in hands-on learning as they use apples, balloons, or other fun objects to trace and write each letter. This interactive approach not only reinforces letter recognition but also encourages fine motor skills development. In Step Three, children will have the opportunity to practice writing independently, with helpful guidance and feedback provided along the way. Whether they're tracing letters or writing them freehand, our app ensures that every stroke is a step closer to mastering the alphabet. Key Features: Three engaging steps to learn letter formation: Animation, Interactive Tracing, and Independent Writing. Vibrant visuals and captivating animations keep kids entertained while they learn. Interactive tracing activities with fun objects make learning the alphabet a hands-on experience. Progress tracking and feedback ensure continual improvement and mastery. Make learning the alphabet a joyous journey for your child with 'ABC Alphabet: Learn to Write!'. Download now and watch as they embark on an adventure that will lay the foundation for a lifetime of literacy! App subscription: You can subscribe for access to the full list of 'ABC Alphabet: Learn to Write!'. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. You will be able to do all exercises for the duration of the subscription. Subscription automatically renews for the same price and duration period as the original "one month" package unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. You may cancel a subscription during its free trial period via the subscription setting though your iTunes account. This must be done 24 hours before the end of the subscription period to avoid being charged. Please visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4098 for more information. You may turn off the auto-renewal of your subscription via your iTunes Account Settings. However, you are not able to cancel the current subscription during its active period. Any unused portion of free-trial period, will be forfeited when the user purchases an app subscription. Links to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy can be found below. Privacy Policy: http://kida.app/privacy-policy.html Terms of Use: https://kida.app/terms-and-conditions.html * Prices are equal to the value that "Apple's App Store Pricing Matrix" determines as the equivalent of the subscription price in $ USD

Screenshots

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting4 screens
The Alphabet3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: The Alphabet at 100% against Twinkl Formation & Handwriting's 41%. Twinkl Formation & Handwriting's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 4.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Twinkl Formation & Handwriting sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per month and The Alphabet sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 63 and 112 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 41% of Twinkl Formation & Handwriting's written reviews are positive against 100% of The Alphabet's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting ships an update every 2 months, The Alphabet every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Twinkl Formation & Handwriting versus The Alphabet: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTwinkl Formation & HandwritingThe Alphabet
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (63 ratings) — better4.0 (112 ratings)
Positive reviews41.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings63112 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size228 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTwinkl LimitedKIDA Apps L.L.C.

Customer experience

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting

All ratings63 ratings
Positive87.3%
Neutral3.2%
Negative9.5%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive41.2%
Neutral23.5%
Negative35.3%

The Alphabet

All ratings112 ratings
Positive72.3%
Neutral8.9%
Negative18.8%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting

Subscriptions2
  • Twinkl Monthly Subscription$0.491 Month
  • Annual Subscription$2.991 Year
4 purchases

The Alphabet

Subscriptions3
  • Alphabet Monthly$6.991 Month
  • Alphabet Quarterly$12.993 Months
  • Alphabet Annual$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Letters : Unlock ABC$59.99

Questions

Is Twinkl Formation & Handwriting free?
Twinkl Formation & Handwriting is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Alphabet free?
The Alphabet is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Twinkl Formation & Handwriting or The Alphabet?
Twinkl Formation & Handwriting is rated higher. Twinkl Formation & Handwriting averages 4.5 out of 5 from 63 ratings, while The Alphabet averages 4.0 from 112 ratings.
Do Twinkl Formation & Handwriting or The Alphabet have ads?
Neither Twinkl Formation & Handwriting nor The Alphabet shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Twinkl Formation & Handwriting or The Alphabet?
Twinkl Formation & Handwriting ships an update every 2 months, and The Alphabet every 3 months. Most recently, Twinkl Formation & Handwriting was updated on October 25, 2026 and The Alphabet on October 25, 2026.

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